Ravelympics Socks

Done!

Kids got hitched without a hitch.

The after nuptials party was a kick.

We are having a famous time with the family.

Here's a GGP (gratuitous grandbebe pic) from the roadshow that is my life...

Sewing, Sort Of

It’s not been all knitting (and felting and bargain shopping and experimentation on socks) around here at Chez Iron.

Oh no. There has been sewing. After a fashion, at least.

Middle Daughter is tying the nuptial knot tomorrow in Desert Crazy Town. It’s not going to be all out and fancy, but is calling for a family gathering and also for more than what my closet holds. Which is jeans and uber-casual work tops.

I do have some nicer pants but they go back to pre-dee-vorce. I know! They fit, then were too big, then were too tight, and now fit again. But also they are all dated! Out of style. So uncool. As I always strive to be. Cool, that is.  Ask my kids.  Or don't, maybe...

I went shopping. I don’t like shopping for clothes, but I went to my favorite consignment store. They were having a sale! It was easy. In and out in 45 minutes. So maybe I do like shopping just a little.

I found myself some really nice black dress pants. And some black khakis.

I also looked for jackets. DSis says the evenings in Crazy Desert Town is chilly at the end of February. I always listen to DSis, don't you know! I found a red boiled wool jacket for $1.80! (I wore it on Valentine’s Day, being red and all.) It is a rather bright-ish red, and I wasn’t sure suitable for the upcoming event and locale (but it wasn’t staying on the rack for that price!) and I picked up two others to take home and see what went with what. (one of which was only $3.80.  I know!)

The pants are like brand new. One pair needed hemming, so the Singing Singer was threaded up and the instruction book reviewed, and the blind hemming stitch was used. See. Sewing!

Slick slicker slickest!

Damage? 4 pair of black pants, some that have to be new, and 3 dress jackets? $60. Most excellent in my thrifty sense books.

The Ravelympics entry was finished last night. (photo to follow...when I have a moment to breathe.)

The bags are mostly packed. (after this entry, the laptop goes into the bag.)

And in my photography class last night? (everyone should have a three hour class the night before a 10 day trip!) There was a knitter! (besides me, I mean...) (I only knit on the break!)

I am now off to the desert, then the east coast to visit the fam and see some sights.  DSis and I are traveling together, and I am not sure what her blogging plans are, but I will promise only that I will try.

Slipper FOs

Sept

Huit

Neuf

Dix

Onze

Fini!

(For now…)

Mr. Potter Lives

And he is refinancing our home.

I am not talking about Mr. Potter, as in Harry.

Remember the cranky old banker from Jimmy Stewart's movie, ‘Its A Wonderful Life’?

It's him of whom I speak.  He’s back and he has taken over the banking system of today.

Wonderful Guy and I decided it made sense to refi the loan on our home. The decision has to do with lowering the interest rate and the monthly payment, not with providing us cash out of the equity.  You know, just in case one of us ceases to bring in a regular income. It has happened to each of us once. And my position holds that dern temporary label like the sword of Damocles over my head.

So we move forward, with our good standing, all our paperwork in order, our i’s dotted and t’s crossed.

Or so we thought.

We apparently had some 'splaining to do.

We of the never having missed a payment, of the wanting only 60% of what the property appraised at, and of the attractive credit rating?

We had letters of explanation to write!
Additional documentation to provide!
More verification to make! (about my income that ‘wasn’t going to be needed anyway'…)
Wet signatures were required! (after all documentation were e-signed.  E-signed!!) (and sick of that term I am.)

I know it wasn’t the broker’s assistant’s fault, but I got so tired of seeing her name in my email and on my caller ID. Seriously fatigued I was of that chipper little voice, I might say.

It is a crazy circle whose ends do not meet in my mind. The housing market finds itself spanked for loaning willy-nilly to people who didn’t deserve credit. The economy teetered on the brink as a result, so dollars were pumped into the credit market which was meant to unfreeze those tightfisted bankers that suddenly were all panicky. Now having lots of money lining the vaults, and showing some profits, and making some tidy bonuses to boot, those who would borrow, who will pay the payments, who are worthy risks…

Well, it was not a warm fuzzy feeling, folks. And it plain didn’t seem to make sense.

But hey, I am a scientist, albeit not a rocket scientist, and certainly not an economist.

And we close today, and there will be no more chipper little voice telling me what I must do next…

Except...could we please come early today...so we could over the something or other one last time... (this after we made the closing appointment 4 weeks ago, knowingly for immediately after work, expressly with no time to spare.)

The sound you hear is my head hitting my desk.

Nothing To Prove

Right. Not much. Not this Chickee. (Those who know me are rolling their eyes, pursing their lips and nodding their heads and saying mmmm...., or laughing laughing laughing)

So here are photos of my short rows.

Tidy side of heel.

Poo side of heel.

Toes are similar looking.

However. There has been progress. Allow me to elaborate.

I tried yet another technique a few weeks ago I found here. It seemed so promising, but alas the results were so similar. However. The steps followed here were not rocket science. I felt if I could do some tweaking, I could make this work. I just needed to figure out what needed to be tweaked, and how to do the tweaking.

Readers (and I assume I have a few). I am a scientist! I set up an experiment, swatching short row heels (or toes) (they are the same mostly!). No more knitting complete socks, even bebe socks. Nosirree. 24 stitches stockinette for 5 rows and I started my short row decreases, which, as usual, went perfectly, regardless of technique I used.

***I note here that when making a heel, I will leave fewer stitches unworked than for a toe. It will make a toe less pointy to have just a few more stitches in the middle. Already a discovery to the good.

Then I started the increases, making a tweak to the purl side. First off, I was able to see on which side the nicey nicey was happening, and on which side the poo was going. The purl side was lining up nicely, and the knit side was pooing. Hmm. Not what I expected.

This technique calls for knitting (or purling) 2 together, then increasing a stitch. I noted how I was making my dec/inc stitches. I actually changed how I was making my k2tog and increases halfway through when I recognized the results.

I noted how it all looked when complete. Second half of the knit side look remarkably better.

5 more rows of stockinette stitch, and I started another heel (or was it a toe?). This time I un-tweaked the purl side. (Apparently it has been fine all along.) I maintained the mid-row tweakage made in the last heel on the knit side (tweakage consisted of KTBL for both k2tog, and the inc, for those keeping score).

Much, much nicer. On the right track certainly, but room for improvement, as the line of stitches is ‘looser’ that those on the purl side. (It may just need tightening as knitted, but maybe there is room for more improvement.)

5 more rows of stockinette stitch. And another heel. I continued to do the purl side as I have done all along. I change another variable on the knit side (purling the picked up strand), and review the results.

Not so good as KTBL after picking up the strand.  And alas! Tthat is where I am had to leave it.
 

The Ravelympics started and that project called.
 
The Knitterly Peeps February Lady Sweater told me that I needed to find another skein of Silky Wool.
 
The Slippers.  Always with the Slippers.
 
And. Another ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY STUPENDOUS AND EXCITING ADDITION is coming to Chez Iron Needles, but I am not saying nothing.
 
So. Short row heels and toes are temporarily put on the back burner. Temporarily. For now.  But not for long.
 
Because I shall prevail.  As gah is my witness, I will knit short row heel and toes that look presentable!
 
Or maybe not...